Helmet mask · Cameroun, Tikar · ID: 3032653
Vendu
3 000 €
Provenance
Friedrich Hartung, Germany, collected in situ (Abong-Mbang area) in 1914. Mr. Hartung established a telegraph network for the Deutsche Reichspost in the then German Cameroon.Galerie Wolfgang Ketterer, München, 21. Mai 1980, lot 254
Richard Rüegg, Zurich, Switzerland
Description
light brown wood, remains of dark brown paint, the face projecting to the front, showing a laughing, teeth-revealing mouth, ears and mouth accentuated by white paint, rectangular hole at the back of the head, min. dam., cracks, minor missing parts, slight traces of abrasion;
present mask probably typifies the stoic, non-committal expression of the faithful household servant of a feudal lord. Application of white chalk around eyes, ears, and the mouth identify the bearer as a carrier of bad news.
Littérature comparée
Gebauer, Paul, Art of Cameroon, New York 1979, P 15